Important iphone bug + fix!

[eeyoreguy]

This is a really nasty security problem!!! As more people find out how to do it, it could make your phone liable to make international calls for them and all sorts. The moral of the story is make sure to attach your iphone to itunes tomorrow and apply the software update as soon as it's available!!

"Apple is set to release a software patch to address a recently described security flaw in the iPhone, the UK network operator 02 has said.

Experts revealed on Thursday that modified SMS messages could result in iPhones being disconnected from the network or hijacked altogether.

Phones incorporating the Windows Mobile and Google Android operating systems are also vulnerable, they said.

An O2 spokesperson said the patch would be available Saturday through iTunes. "

[Keith]

Fix available from itunes now!

Apple has responded to the security alert reported yesterday about the iPhone being vulnerable by SMS, where a hacker could lock up your iPhone, rending it useless, or even take control over it remotely.

Apple has released a patch for the SMS vulnerability, available immediately on iTunes. The firmware update, labeled as 3.0.1, contains only an update for the SMS attack. In the description of the update on Apple.com describes the update as:

A memory corruption issue exists in the decoding of SMS messages. Receiving a maliciously crafted SMS message may lead to an unexpected service interruption or arbitrary code execution. This update addresses the issue through improved error handling. Credit to Charlie Miller of Independent Security Evaluators, and Collin Mulliner of Fraunhofer SIT for reporting this issue.

The update is available for all iPhone users, including first generation, iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS.

[MystikPiglit]

Oh dear. Do I just connect my phone to itunes and it'll do the update automatically?

[catrancher]

Oh dear. Do I just connect my phone to itunes and it'll do the update automatically?

It may. Depends on when iTunes last checked for an update. If it doesn't do it automatically, you can force it to do it by the following:

When you plug your phone into iTunes, select your phone from the list on the left (under Devices). This will display the main page for configuring your iPhone. Normally, iTunes will check for updates at predefined intervals but you can push the button that says "Check for Update" to force it to check now.

Once you've done that, just follow the prompts and it will install the new update.

Tom (... worked for me!)

[MystikPiglit]

Thanks, Tom. I'll do that now then.